outline of keynote address

wonderful words 

bee gees

Emily Dickenson 

poll

inadequacy of words

the gift to the lit student

so what can words do- chat 

immortalise 

give us new ways of seeing and dreaming 

strengthen the soul

what will your words do

( if time permits share personal story of the hunt for the words water water everywhere , not a drop to drink ) 

end with a challenge - find words that speak to you and commit them to memory so they come to you at diff points in your life and light up your day - saving bank for future adventures 

notes

add that quote water eater everywhere, the poll, pause for chat and the notes on new ways of seeing and reference texts and add reading of shall I compare three to a summers day

wonderful words

words can  be wonderful but also inadequate 

I saw a picture the other day

not a picture but a split second scene in real life 

by the beach 

am overhanging shrub

and a tiny sunbird

suspended in mid air

wings flapping 

while it drank nectar from a flower

a scene of beauty fought in a split second 

but taking lines and paragraphs even to describe its momentary beauty 

int hat struggle

is poetry born 

to capture the fleeting moment 

a sensation flickering in the twilight 

so we may think words words words

so much to bore us with 

but with literature 

in the poetry you read and plays and prose

you have a gift

where the writer had sifted through thr millions of words at his disposal and picked the best arrangement of them to convey something precious ro you across ages

an idea 

momentarily felt or seen or touched 

but now immortalised forever 

- cue Shakespeare sonnet 

New ways of seeing, of dreaming - for yeats

add chat line for what can words do

India trip

First part was the holiday part- Vaalaparai and Parambikulam Tiger Reserve. 

2nd part was all family fun and temple trips, at Alavakottai, Natrasankottai, Azhagar Kovil, Palani Malai,  Udumalpet, Kalayar Mangalam, Karaikudi, Ariyakudi, Pudhuveyil, Madhurai and Chennai. Just writing here for personal record haha!

parenting

I'd like to be a parent 

like a gentle flowing river 

over smooth pebbles

the water clear, running

babbling happily

home to fish and happy splashing children 

a friendly life force

drawing birds and beasts 

like a magnet 

not a turbulent raging one

that pulls down houses

in my frustration 

and erodes the foundations and banks

that keep us steady and afloat 

days

there are days when i cannot live with the demon that I am

a witch who hurls insults at her children

labels them

demeans them 

erodes their self worth 

all from what ? for what? 

an egoistic need to be appreciates

to see people happy 

killjoy 

the right punishment is to stew in the guilt 

and stew I shall

writing india

India is just so rich in visuals and textures and sounds and feelings and ceremonies and contrasts it's a writers paradise

such a feast for the senses on just has to pause anywhere and take in the material to let it all flow

majestic Western ghats. line of trees marking boundaries in tea estates 

myriad bird calls

prowling bears and leopards 

busy streets 

languid cows

thousands of goats 

a man on the street,

his bike on its side

him bleeding from the head 

an accident in the five min we went past

the trains

roaring and rumbling 

busses and autos one backing up the other rolling forward